Welcome to Say What?, our recurring columnist duel wherein important issues are debated and petty scores get settled.
In today’s edition, reporters Tom Zytaruk and Tricia Leslie face off over the important question: To procrastinate, or not to procrastinate?
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TOM ZYTARUK: PROCRASTINATION IS BEYOND DANGEROUS
Tempus fugit, my friend.
Tricia most fittingly argues the case for procrastination – she is its patron saint.
When it comes to these Say What?! columns, she dawdles until the last possible nano-second to get her offering of nonsense done – a true maverick in an industry sodden with deadlines.
No kidding, her sorry offering for this round is imperceptibly emerging at roughly one word per week with no progress in sight. Advancing like a starfish, but slower.
Hopefully sometime in 2026 she’ll get around to resolving to forsake procrastination and then act on it. It’s a faint hope, probably a lost cause.
Procrastination is beyond dangerous. Put off going to the dentist and reap the consequences: that’ll be five maybe nine fillings for you, a root canal, perhaps lose a festering tooth or two, and earn the not-so-dull ache of thumping dental bills.
Procrastination can kill. Failing to get that mole, or that lump, bump or that pain in your chest checked out by a doctor is absolutely unwise given the possible consequences of putting off a visit.
You may include in this category not getting around to quitting smoking, or kicking a gambling habit, or effectively dealing with any other assorted vice.
Just see what failing to pay your taxes, bills and mortgage or rent payments in a timely way can get you – stress, debt, eviction, foreclosure, and other fun things like bankruptcy and divorce. And, if your aggrieved creditor happens to have in his or her employ a no-neck street thug named Bluto, whoa – that can lead to broken bones (spoiler alert, yours) or worse.
On a lighter note, not showing up on time for work, a date, a job interview, a plane, train or a bus will result in lost opportunity and also, literally, you not getting very far.
Your procrastination can also enrage other people.
And so, we have poor sad Tricia over there in the next column, arguing an indefensible and ultimately wrongful case in favour of procrastination…it’s like advocating to go get bitten by a tiger shark, hurl yourself into a bonfire, jump out of an airplane without a parachute.
You know, irredeemably crazy-pants stuff.
Procrastination is Lucifer’s playground.
Honestly, I’m terrified for her.
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TRICIA LESLIE: PROCRASTINATION IS GOOD FOR YOU
When others ask, why put off till tomorrow what you can do today, I typically rewrite it in my head.
I prefer, why put off till tomorrow, what can wait until the absolute final deadline?
Procrastination is the best. And it can be good for you.
It can complement efficiency and also force motivation.
Working in a deadline-driven environment, I’ve always responded well when under the gun, and I enjoy rising to the challenge of a racing clock with a limited amount of time.
Procrastination fosters creativity and allows for better decision-making and encourages prioritization.
It can also reduce needless work, as procrastinating sometimes reveals that a task didn’t need to be done in the first place. I don’t know how much time my colleague Tom Zytaruk wastes on tasks that are unnecessary, but I’m guessing it’s plenty, if he never revels in the joys of delaying until the last minute.
Delaying getting this column done for the past several months while his sits gathering dust has been immensely satisfying, with me hoarding every “gentle” nudge from him as badges of honour.
Pressure also produces diamonds, but if carbon isn’t given enough time to become a twinkling, sparkling stone, it may as well be a lump of coal. Right, Tom?
I prefer to define it as “active procrastination,” which means deliberately delaying a task to work better under the pressure of a deadline, with the benefit being higher motivation and outcome satisfaction. Others may call it productive, or structured, procrastination.
In a nutshell, procrastination is often superior to prompt action because it prioritizes creativity and quality over mere pace.
Speediness may allow “precrastinators” to finish early, but perhaps it also means they settle for their first, most obvious, ideas. Procrastinators, in other words, provide better ideas, not just first ideas.
If that means my indoor Christmas lights stay up past Jan. 1, I’m fine with that, because who doesn’t love a little extra sparkle?
Rushing to get things done quickly means skipping any time for reflection and missed opportunities.
Procrastination means sparkling, twinkling holiday lights, diamonds, and creative ideas formed under pressure.
I choose diamonds, every time.
Tom Zytaruk writes for the Surrey Now-Leader and Tricia Leslie writes for the Peace Arch News. Got an opinion about this debate or an idea for a future column? Email newsroom@surreynowleader.com or newsroom@peacearchnews.com